Clutier plane crash victim dies

January 13, 2013

The man involved in a November plane crash near Clutier has died after spending more than nine weeks in the hospital.

Max Morrison, 63, of Traer, died from injuries he suffered when a plane in which he was flying went down at an airstrip near Clutier, his wife confirmed Monday.

The plane's pilot, William Konicek, 69, also of Traer, died at the scene of the crash near 245th Street and R Avenue.

The Tama County Sheriff's Deputy on scene following the crash said Morrison told him he did all he could to pull Konicek from the flames.

Morrison, who suffered severe burns, spent time at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City where his condition was unavailable in the days following the crash.

A preliminary report released in early December by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that Konicek's plane struck power lines at the unimproved airstrip before landing in a farm field and catching fire.

The lines had previously been buried but had recently been erected, the report shows. Whether Kocinek knew the power lines were there is unknown, but the report shows he had landed at the airstrip before.